Practice
by Hime no Ichigo
Summary: [Shounen ai: YuugixYami] [oneshot] Practice makes perfect…or does it?


**Practice  
**By – _Hime no Ichigo_

**Genre**: Humour/Romance  
**Rating**: PG-13 – R-ish (for a few…sexual references, haha)  
**Pairings**: Yuugi/Yami (THAT'S RIGHT!), mentions of Seto/Jou, Bakura/Ryou, Marik/Malik, Otogi/Honda  
**Story Type**: One-shot  
**Summary**: "Practice makes perfect"…or does it?

**Disclaimer**: No I don't, now stop bothering me. (_grumbles_)

**Spoilers**: Nope:D

**Warnings**: Yami may seem a little uke-ish, a.k.a. OOC-ish, because for once I want to see Yuugi in a more "dominating" position. (_grins_) That's all!

-----

There was a moment of hesitation in his eyes, and a catch in his voice.

The King of Games has _never_ wavered in confidence before.

He opened his mouth, but no words came out. His face now resembled a goldfish, and this simply irritated him even more.

The Pharaoh was _never_ at a loss of words before.

"So, how was your day at school?" Yes, something casual and light, nothing would be suspected.

Silence.

So Yami tried again, this time with some forced cheerfulness in his voice.

"Hehe, aibou, guess what? I have something to show you! But before that, close your eyes."

No, no, that sounded a bit too tempting of an action that can lead to something…more…

He slapped himself and shook his head. He needed to use another tactic. Something that only his brilliant mind could cook up.

In the end he just stuck to his original plan, only adding bits and pieces to elaborate it further.

"Aibou, I have something to tell you…" he paused, trying to compose himself. He took another deep breath before continuing. "Please don't turn away from me now, I want – no, _need_ – you to hear this."

Silence.

"Aibou, ever since you solved the Puzzle I have been indebted to you. Your light, your joy, your laughter, your smile, your energy, your antics, your mere _presence_, have all brightened up my dark existence. 'Yami' is rather fitting, is it not?" At this he gave a bark of mirth, a snort, then a sad chuckle. "At times I feel like I don't deserve at you. At all. You are so important to me, little one, and, and—" he struggled to finish the next part. "I know that what I'm about to say and do may jeopardize our current relationship, but I can't help it – I _have_ to say it." Another breath. "I love you, aibou."

Silence.

"ARGH!" He screamed exasperatedly, and tore at his tri-coloured hair. He's been using Yuugi's white teddy bear for the past eight days as a substitute while the real person was away at school, trying to perfect the flawless confession. After all, for the years he's been with the boy ('No', he chided himself, 'he is a handsome young man now.'), he was not aware of any intimate acts, and he planned to make his first one the best. Ever.

He looked at the stuffed animal miserably. It rested on his lap, looking up innocently, as if mocking him of what he _should_ have there instead, but didn't. 'At least for the moment', Yami thought hopefully, trying to reassure himself.

Sunlight filtered gently in through the blinds, casting a glow around the room.

However, Yami couldn't take the thought of a _teddy bear_ _mocking_ him. No matter how great the weather was outside. _No one_ has ever done that before and this…thing wasn't going to get the easy way out either.

Still sitting, he picked at the white fur, each yank growing harsher until a few shreds floated to the ground.

"Why is this so difficult?! Has eight days worth of practice _not_ enough to overcome myself?!"

The unblinking brown eyes of the teddy bear simply stared steadily into Yami's blazing crimson ones, gaze never wavering as it was being throttled to near death.

_Knock knock_.

Yami froze. There was really one possibility as to who would knock on his shared bedroom with Yuugi; he quickly stole a glance at the clock beside the bed and his worst fears were confirmed.

Yuugi was home.

'Oh no! The teddy bear is out of its place and Yuugi will notice and he'll start asking questions and wonder and _oh_, why won't my body just _move_, Ra damn it _all_—'

"Mou hitori no boku, have you been talking to yourself again?"

Yami wheeled around from the waist up, at his Light's cheery and joking voice, who was putting down his school bag on his desk. The Darkness could only stare as Yuugi's slender form made its way ever so slowly to him, hips unconsciously swinging.

'How much did he hear?'

"And, pray tell, why are you staring?" Yuugi flopped unceremoniously on to the bed, letting out a sigh of exhaustion before turning twinkling amethysts to see bewildered rubies. The bed, already supporting Yami's very physical body, dipped even more under the additional weight. Yami pulled his legs up from the ground and sat cross-legged, attempting to hide the very ruffled-looking teddy bear behind his own lean figure.

Yuugi got up on one elbow and reached behind his yami. "Okay, one more question, were _you_ the one playing with my teddy? I've noticed that he seems to be getting tattered, but I figured that it could've been Jii-chan and his memory losses lately… he seems to be very taken with the washing machine and insisted on having absolutely everything in his path be washed."

Meanwhile, Yami's throat has constricted and he suddenly found it very difficult to breathe, let alone utter a sound. However, his eyes were working perfectly fine, and he was drinking in the sight of Yuugi propped up on his left elbow; face supported by his hand, palm up; right hand smoothing out the dishevelled stuffed toy.

Very alluring, oh _yes_, one that Yami couldn't exactly take his eyes off of.

He suddenly had the urge to become the teddy bear: to feel lingering fingertips on his hair, his skin, _anywhere_, then maybe purr in contentment.

As Pharaoh he has had the most upright dignity and has never exactly purred in his life before, but he didn't care at the moment. If he could feel _his_ touch, it would all be worth it.

Wanted.

Needed.

_Craved_.

It was driving him crazy, to be so close but not able to do _anything_. He bit back a moan, feeling it rather inappropriate while he didn't profess his feelings yet. His hormones begged to differ.

What was that phrase he practised earlier today? Oh yes… "So, how was your day at school?"

"It was great! Jou-kun and Kaiba-kun got into another fight that ended up in a make-up session; Bakura-kun sent his hundredth unfortunate victim to the Shadow Realm since Ryou-kun started going home with bruises last wee—"

Despite himself, Yami felt the need to interrupt. "The Tomb Robber is attending school? And protecting Ryou? What is this; has the world gone mad?"

Yuugi grinned. "No, mou hitori no boku, the world is still revolving around the sun and _that_ is still rising in the east and setting in the west; I told you Bakura-kun and Ryou-kun had something going on, but no—" he dragged out the vowel, "you didn't believe me." He stuck his tongue out playfully.

They indulged themselves in a minute of laughter before Yuugi continued. "Honda-kun thought it would be funny to take Malik-kun's Rod and see Marik-kun's reaction, but apparently that plan backfired because Otogi-kun's still in the hospital wing with him."

"Rod?" Yami's face coloured up very quickly.

"_Sennen_ Rod, mou hitori no boku."

"I know, I was just…making sure."

"Oh sure," Yuugi rolled his eyes. "What _is_ up with you these days? You seem to blush more than me, and you know _I_ blush easily, almost at _anything_. Heck, you're rivalling Ryou-kun's ability to turn red!" Yami opened his mouth to protest when Yuugi carried on as if he didn't see any motion, "Don't say 'nothing', because I know there's something, and you're not going to keep hiding that from me."

He sat up, a mirror image of Yami's position. Except the eyes: lilac ones were concerned and wondering; garnet ones _shy_ but brimming with unspoken emotion.

"Well?" the Light prompted his Darkness, a curious smile on his lips.

Yami opened his mouth and he was once again forcibly reminded of looking like a goldfish.

Yuugi tilted his head to one side cutely, his eyes ever so big.

But before Yami could utter a single syllable, Jii-chan suddenly roared from downstairs, "LAUNDRY TIME!"

Yuugi sighed and got off the bed, grabbing an extra set of clothes with him and leaving Yami staring stupidly at the vacant spot in front of him.

"Jii-chan, you've already taken some clothes to wash…" Yuugi's voice floated upstairs.

It was a few minutes before Yami could actually speak.

"Curse it all! What happened to my gift of speech? Have the Gods decided to strip me of my powers when I need them most? Why is it that I can speak fluently elsewhere but lose all coherency when I'm in front of him? WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?!"

"Mou hitori no boku…?"

Apparently Yuugi shook off his grandfather rather quickly this time but was met with another…weird…sight.

Yami had taken up his teddy bear again and was shaking it so hard Yuugi thought it would be torn into two clean halves. The shaking, however, stopped, when he had spoken, and Yuugi was once again subjected to wide eyes that didn't look quite fitting on the ex-Pharaoh's face.

"Okay, now I _know_ there's something wrong and you're going to tell me what it is _right now_." Yuugi placed his hands on his hips, stance in a perfect imitation of a reprimanding mother, looking pointedly at his other half. When he got no response, he got impatient. "Well?!" He demanded.

All thoughts and any well-rehearsed phrases fled Yami's mind as he quivered slightly under Yuugi's authority.

Wait, wait, wait – Pharaohs don't quiver, nor are they scared.

But all the same, he could only focus on how the anger seemed to amplify his Light's inner beauty even more – 'Is that possible?' he thought.

'_Of course it is, stupid! He's capable of more things than you ever imagine—_'

'ALL RIGHT, HOLD IT RIGHT THERE.'

His conscience bristled at being interrupted. '_Hey, just because _I_'m more capable of figuring out your feelings and expressing your emotions—_'

"Mou hitori no boku!" Impatient tapping of feet followed, and Yuugi crossed his arms. "Stop dragging this out and just answer the damn question!"

Yami cringed inwardly. 'Okay, Yuugi's pissed, this isn't good; maybe I should just say it.'

'_Then do it, stupid!_'

"All right, aibou, you want to hear my answer?" He said it quietly, surprised that his voice was actually quite steady, compared to how he felt inside. Yami was struggling, oh yes he was.

"_Yes_, and you're taking an awfully lon—"

"Iloveyou."

Yuugi blinked, anger dissipating in the few seconds of silence that followed. "You what?" He asked softly, not quite believing his ears and not quite sinking into his numb mind yet. His posture relaxed, arms coming out of the cross and hung limply by his side.

Yami stared evenly at Yuugi, and reiterated again, managing it slower – and more coherently, admittedly – this time. "I love you."

He closed his eyes and stood his ground, despite a panic welling up inside him. 'See, I told you this was a bad idea and I needed more practice and I need to figure out a way to make my tongue work when I'm anywhere near him and—'

'_Oh, would you please stop _griping_ and look what's happening?!_'

Yuugi was right in front of him, body close and heat radiating to his own warm body. Yami stifled a gasp. It felt so…_right_.

"Mou hitori no boku, you're the silliest person I have ever encountered in my life." His tone was teasing, light, and Yami was relieved he wasn't angry or revolted. 'Maybe things _will_ work out after all.'

"Does this mean…?" He couldn't finish his query, because something was preventing him from speaking.

And that "something" was what he has been dreaming of, for a very long time, never daring to hold too much hope. The higher his hopes, the harder he would fall.

He therefore, settled like putty into the feathery and chaste kiss, sighing contentedly when they broke apart for air.

"Amazing" was all Yami's mind could conjure up. Although the kiss was chaste, he was still caught up in a daze, rolling Yuugi's taste around in his mouth, memorizing every detail; a perfect blend of coconut, melted butter, innocence, and enough mischief so that Yami held no hesitation or regret when he went in for a second round.

They broke apart, still holding each other akin to an embrace, panting slightly for oxygen.

"Aibou, where—?"

Yuugi lifted a lazy finger and placed it on Yami's moving lips. "You talk too much, Yami-chan," he whispered against his cheek, blowing warm air into his ear. "Why do you need words when actions speak louder than words?"

The Dark counterpart shivered; his ears were one of his more sensitive spots.

Maybe his Light was right. Maybe he didn't need eight days to practise for this moment. After all, his love for his partner was spontaneous, and, and—

His remaining thoughts shrivelled up when their lips met again.

He could lie forever in Yuugi's _very_ capable hands.

- _Owari_ -

**Authoress' Notes**: I have an omake for you! Well, not really an omake, but sort of like a mini after-scene, "The Morning After". XP

_- keep reading from here! -_

The next morning dawned very brightly. The birds were chirping, the leaves rustled, and the blinds clattered a bit when the occasional breeze rushed past the open window.

So what was wrong with this picture?

Yami groaned and rolled over to meet an empty side of the bed. He was stiff, oh yes, quite stiff, but he was content. The night was a blur of movements to him, but he was left feeling very, very satisfied. No doubt Yuugi also felt the same?

Then where was he?

Yami squinted at the clock and it read 7:42 AM.

He groaned again. 'Way too early on a non-school day.' He fell back asleep.

Sugoroku peeked into the room and was relieved to see Yami still under the covers, breathing evenly. His steps were muffled by the soft carpeting, and he grinned as he spotted his grandson in the kitchen, chewing thoughtfully on his second helping of blueberry pancakes.

"Yuugi," Sugoroku greeted over-enthusiastically, causing said young adult to look at him suspiciously. The aged man grinned rather impishly, extremely out of character for him. "I _told_ you Yami likes you and that he would blow his cover before the two weeks are up. You owe me 11,538.09 yen."

Yuugi grunted and heaved a sigh. "Jii-chan, how is it that you're able to remember the exact amount of money when you do the laundry every half hour?"

Sugoroku smiled, ruffled his grandson's hair, and counted the money. "Because sophisticated men have a knack of numbers, and even memory losses can't prevent that."

- _The __**Real**__ Owari_ -

**Authoress' Notes**: Ever notice how Yami's conscience plays a prominent role in my one-shots these days? HAHA. I hope you guys liked it; I had a bit of fun with this particular piece and let my mind run loose. (_scratches back of head_) Dirtier than my normal ones, but what can you do. :P

_Note_: 11,538.09 yen is (approximately) equivalent to $100.00 Canadian, or $94.2155 US. This currency rate is effective on **July 3, 2007, 21: 15: 16 UTC**. So don't be surprised if the numbers are different if you decide to check my research in the future. :3

Now…read and review please? n.n


End file.
